One-legged dealer in jail mercy plea

A PLEA of mercy has been made for a one-legged, cancer- surviving cocaine dealer not to be sent to jail.

At Ennis Circuit Court, counsel for Diarmuid Devanney (26), Pat Whyms BL said that prison would be "an extremely severe sanction" for his client.

"I am making a plea for mercy for whatever regime the court deems appropriate for Mr Devanney (inset) to be given an opportunity to continue to rehabilitate himself and to demonstrate that he is clean from drugs and no longer involved in drug dealing," he said.

In the case, Mr Devanney of Cluain Droichid, Sixmilebridge pleaded guilty to dealing cocaine and cannabis at the same address on November 12, 2013.

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The drugs had a value of €15,125, with the cocaine making up €10,222 of the total.

In court, Det Garda Andrew Hayes said that Mr Devanney "would have been known to us as one of the major players in the Shannon-Sixmilebridge area for drug dealing".

Mr Devanney had his right leg amputated below the right knee as a result of a contracting a rare form of bone cancer, High Grade Osteosarcoma when he was aged only 16.

In the witness box, Mr Devanney's mother, Lorraine broke down as she recounted her son's battle with cancer.

"Diarmuid was diagnosed with cancer in May 2007. He initially had six sessions of chemotherapy and had his leg amputated in 2007," Ms Devanney said.

A tearful Ms Devanney said that the cancer came back to Mr Devanney's lungs in 2011 and he had two-thirds of his right lung removed and has still two nodules left in each lung. She said that he continues to have scans every six months.

Diarmuid Devanny at Ennis Court

Ms Devanney revealed that the family came together to pay off her son's drug debts after he was caught. She said that another son, Brian was rendered 100pc blind in a road traffic accident and that Brian gave €20,000 from the compensation from his accident to pay off his brother's drug debts.